Homophobic Bullying, Achievement, Mental Health, Safety and Sexual Health of LGBT Students (GT)

Homophobic Bullying, School Achievement, Mental Health, Safety and Sexual Health of Sexual Minority Students All students including gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex students, have a right to feel safe at school and be free from bullying or being the target of unacceptable behaviour. Indications of the extent of homophobic bullying in schools can be gained from recent reports from several countries, including Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand, United States and others. Bullying and violence experienced by LGBT youth has negative effects on their educational achievement, mental health, safety, sexual health and overall healthy development. Recent studies in several countries report that bullied sexual minority students are more likely to be absent from school, are likely to have more trouble connecting with school and fellow students and experience greater challenges with their academic work. The stresses experienced by LGBT youth and those who are questioning their sexual orientation or LGBTQ also put them at greater risk for mental health problems, substance use, and physical health problems. Schools that have clear policies, procedures and activities designed to prevent bullying and have supportive staff and student organizations can be effective in reducing verbal and physical harassment. These kinds of positive school climates are associated with reduced suicide risk and better mental health among LGBT students. For youth to thrive in their schools and communities, they need to feel socially, emotionally, and physically safe. Schools, communities, parents, and youth have a role to play in building positive, supportive, and healthy environments for youth. Such environments promote acceptance and respect and help youth feel valued. A comprehensive approach, coordinated agency-school programs or whole-school strategy to student safety and well-being are most effective in preventing incidents of homophobic bullying. The most important action teachers and the school community can take is to create and continually model a school environment that respects and celebrates diversity. To promote a whole-school environment that is openly inclusive of the needs of same-sex attracted and transgendered students is to ensure that incidents of homophobic bullying are kept to a minimum. Inclusiveness should be reflected in a schools curriculum, teaching and learning, organisation and ethos, and in community links and partnerships. The schools physical environment should also be openly inclusive such as through displaying relevant posters. Respectful and safe schools clearly communicate to all members of the school community that everybody has the right to feel physically and psychologically safe. To help promote health and safety among LGBTQ youth, schools can implement the following policies, programs and practices: Include explicit references to bullying of LGBT students as part of general policies prohibiting bullying, harassment, and violence against all students. Identify safe spaces, such as counselors offices, designated classrooms, or student organizations, where LGBTQ youth can receive support from administrators, teachers, or other school staff. Ensure that regular school practices such as proms and dances are inclusive in nature Ensure that health curricula or educational materials include HIV, other STD, or pregnancy prevention information that is relevant to LGBTQ youth (such as ensuring that curricula or materials use inclusive language or terminology). Encourage school district and school staff to develop and publicize trainings on how to create safe and supportive school environments for all students, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity and encourage staff to attend these trainings. Provide all parents with information about sexual orientation as well as provide specific information and support to parents of LGBT students and LGBT parents Support and encourage school activities and work with community-based awareness programs to increase awareness and reduction of homophobic bullying such as gay-straight student alliances, participation in "pink shirt" or anti-bullying days, cooperate with drop-in centres and summer camps for LGBT students and more

Ensure that school policies and actions on cyber bullying address homophobia Facilitate access to community-based providers who have experience providing health services, including HIV/STD testing and counseling, to LGBTQ youth. Facilitate access to community-based providers who have experience in providing social and psychological services to LGBT youth. Ensure that the school grounds, facilities and transportation routes to school are safe and secure from bullying and harassment

Homophobic bullying should be dealt with in the same way as any situation of bullying or unacceptable behaviour. It is important, however, to acknowledge that the behaviour is homophobic, and respond to it accordingly. A teacher or other staff member can: state that they find the comments or actions offensive ask the student if they know why the teacher has found their statement offensive ask the student to consider the statement in light of agreed school rules about discriminatory language, and the feelings of the student who they have been bullying agree to a management strategy, as set out in the schools policy and procedures on bullying and student conduct.

Due to the sensitivity around issues of teenage sexuality, the utmost care should be taken in choosing the most appropriate strategies to manage the situation. The student who is being bullied should be consulted about how they would like the situation to be managed. However, the teacher or staff member should take responsibility for the situation and follow up the incident at a later date to ensure it is resolved. These specific actions can and should be taken as part of more comprehensive approaches, coordinated agency-school programs and whole school strategies to improve learning (particularly preventing school dropouts), promote health and safety (particularly preventing bullying), promote mental health (particularly reducing suicide and depression) and sexual health (particularly reducing risk-taking and harassment). Adapted from LGBT Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USA, Canadian Sexual Health Education Guidelines, Public Health Agency of Canada, Supporting Sexual Diversity in Schools, Department of Education, Victoria, Australia) Please refer to our list of relevant Operational Definitions used in this summary. They include homophobia, bullying, mental health and others. .

Helpful site: http://www.stopbullying.gov/topics/lgbt/